Halachah · Modern
A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life, Part Two; Practical Guide and Review, Chapter 2; The Cessation of the Niddah Status/מדריך להלכות טהרת המשפחה·
א
1Seven clean days (shiva neki’im)
ב
2All women must count seven blood-free days before going to the mikveh. Even if bleeding stopped after one or two days, she cannot start to count seven days until four days (for many Sephardim) or five days (for Ashkenazim) have passed from the onset of bleeding.
ג
3In order to verify that she has in fact stopped bleeding, a woman has to do an internal exam. This exam is called a hefsek taharah. (Such an exam at other times is known as a bedikah.) It is done as follows:
ד
4She takes a white, pre-checked soft cotton cloth, wraps it around her finger, and inserts it deeply but GENTLY into the vaginal canal. She then moves her finger circumferentially around the vaginal canal, GENTLY touching the sides, being careful to enter the crevices of the vaginal canal. She then withdraws the cloth and checks it in a good light. If all discharge on the cloth is white, clear, or light yellow, her bleeding is assumed to have stopped and she can count the NEXT day as the first of her seven blood free days. If it is obviously red, then she will need to try again. If it is any other color she should have it shown to an authority who is knowledgeable in this field.
ה
5The hefsek taharah must be done during the daylight hours, preferably late in the day, shortly before sunset. Prior to the hefsek taharah, she should clean the external vaginal area. Busy women who may be occupied (especially on short winter afternoons) and don’t find these exams painful or troublesome should consider doing one in the morning and repeating it before sunset. In this way they have a “backup” in case of forgetting. On erev Shabbat she should check before candlelighting; however, as long as she checks before sunset the exam is valid.
ו
6Following the hefsek taharah, the custom is to use a moch dachuk – literally, closely packed wadding. This involves packing the vagina from sunset to nightfall. This is generally done by taking one or two bedikah cloths and inserting them into the vaginal canal. Some authorities permit the use of a tampon instead. It is a good idea to sit or lie down during this period, to prevent irritation of the vaginal wall that can cause stains from vaginal rather than uterine blood. Women who find this exam uncomfortable should consult a rabbi. If she made a hefsek taharah but forgot the moch dachuk, in most cases she may nevertheless count the next day as the first of the seven clean days.1 is performed on the same day she began bleeding.
ז
7The seven blood-free days begin the day AFTER she does her hefsek taharah (the 24-hour Jewish day begins with the previous night).2 During these days, a woman needs to ascertain that bleeding has not restarted. For this purpose, women used to wear white clothes and use white linens (hence these seven blood free days are known as her white days). However, now that many women wear form fitting underpants, it is no longer necessary to wear white clothes; white underwear is sufficient. Women who wear white underwear to sleep may also omit the white sheets.3 If white underwear is unavailable, she does not need to delay counting the seven blood-free days; she can wear clean prechecked undergarments of another color until white becomes available.
ח
8A woman furthermore ascertains that bleeding has not restarted by doing internal examinations, known as bedikot. The procedure is the same as that for the hefsek taharah. Ideally, a woman performs two internal examinations per day (bedikot), one in the morning after sunrise and one in the afternoon before sunset. However, if the exams are painful, uncomfortable, or she feels she is irritating herself she should speak to a rabbi as to how to reduce the number.
ט
9If she missed one out of the two daily exams, she should continue to check as usual the next day. If she forgot both exams on one of the intermediate days, she should continue to check as usual the next day. Days one and seven are essential, however, and every effort must be made not to forget or miss these exams; if missed, a rabbi must be consulted. Fortunately, these days are easy to remember: day one is the day after the hefsek taharah, and day seven is the day after which she will go to the mikveh in the evening.
י
10(For examples of counting, see Part One, pp.46–48 and in Frequently Asked Questions at the end of this section, pp.105–108.)
יא
11Mikveh use
יב
12The end of bleeding and the counting of seven blood-free days are necessary for the cessation of the niddah status, but are not sufficient. Even if years have gone by since her last menses, a woman retains her status of niddah, with all its attendant prohibitions, until she immerses properly in a proper mikveh.
יג
13Preparation
יד
14Immersion requires that the entire body be under water at the same time. Thus, if there was any impediment or barrier (chatzitzah) between any part of the body and the water, one has to remove the chatzitzah and then re-immerse the entire body. Every effort must be made in advance to remove even miniscule barriers. If a barrier was overlooked and discovered after immersion, a rabbi should be consulted, as not every impediment requires re-immersion after the fact.
טו
15Determining that there are no barriers to immersion involves a two-part process: first, cleansing to remove any possible barrier, and second, inspection to verify that all barriers have in fact been removed.
טז
16Cleansing
יז
17Cleansing can be divided into a number of steps:
יח
181. Removing obviously foreign material – clothing, rings, necklaces, earrings and other jewelry, contact lenses.4, according to most opinions.
יט
192. Washing hair with warm water.5 This is known as chafifah. Hair in itself is not a chatzitzah, but as there is an opinion that anything that is about to be removed is a chatzitzah, if she intends to remove hair (e.g., to shave her legs or underarms) she should do so before and not after immersing. Knots in the hair are a form of chatzitzah, and must be removed or combed out. Hair on the head is combed with a comb; for other hair such as pubic or axillary, separating the strands with fingers is sufficient.
כ
203. Washing the entire body with water. Preferably this is done with warm water. However, if there is a shortage of warm water, the body can be washed in cold water and the warm water saved for the hair, where use of warm water is essential. While this washing is generally done by bathing in a bathtub, a shower is acceptable, as long as one is careful to wash the entire body.
כא
214. Certain parts of the body require special attention such as the armpits, under the breasts and other crevices known as beit hastarim, “the hidden places.” The mouth also falls under this category. Therefore, teeth and gums must be thoroughly cleaned by brushing and flossing to remove any trapped particles of food, although there is no obligation to let water enter the mouth during immersion.
כב
225. Using the bathroom before immersion is recommended.
כג
23Nevertheless, if she forgot to do so, this does not invalidate the immersion.
כד
246. Dirt beneath nails is a form of chatzitzah, and the custom is to cut nails short. However, the nails themselves are not a chatzitzah, and thus if she has a professional or emotional need for her long nails, this is allowed, as long as they are well cleaned.6 may have firm rules about adhering to the custom of cutting nails short. A women who plans to immerse with long nails should clarify this issue in advance.
כה
257. Makeup and nail polish should be removed. If she has permanent makeup, hair dye or a well maintained manicure that she does not want to remove, she should consult a rabbi.
כו
268. Bandages should be removed. In the case of items that cannot be removed for medical reasons, such as stitches, she should consult a rabbi.
כז
27Cleansing can be done either at home or in the preparation rooms available at the mikveh. If done at home, she should comb her hair again at the mikveh (if it is not Shabbat or Yom Tov) and wet her body before immersion (a quick shower is sufficient).
כח
28There is a disagreement about the ideal timing of chafifah. According to one opinion, it is best to do it at night immediately prior to immersion. According to the other, it is best to do it in the daytime, for if she waits until nighttime, she may be in a rush to get home and not do it properly. The custom is to follow both opinions by starting chafifah during the day and continuing into the night. However, if circumstances (work, young children, unavailability of water) preclude one option, the other is acceptable.
כט
29At times, one option or the other is precluded for halachic reasons. Washing hair is not permitted on Shabbat or Yom Tov, so if a woman goes to the mikveh Friday night she must prepare during the day on Friday. If she goes to the mikveh Saturday night, on the other hand, she cannot prepare during the day on Shabbat. According to some opinions, she should do some preparation during the day on Friday and repeat it on Saturday night. In all circumstances, inspection is required just prior to immersing.
ל
30Inspection
לא
31All parts of the body that she can see by herself should be visually inspected. All other parts should be felt to ensure that there is no foreign material. Chafifah of the head is a form both of cleansing and of inspection.
לב
32Timing
לג
33Immersion takes place at night after the completion of the seven blood-free days. Even if a woman immerses on a later date, she needs to immerse at night. In extreme circumstances, such as if the mikveh is in an area that is unsafe at night, she may be permitted to go during daylight hours on the eighth or subsequent days. A rabbi should be consulted.
לד
34If both members of the couple are in town, the woman should go to the mikveh on the earliest permitted night. Doing so enables a couple to perform two commandments – procreation and marital relations. If one member of the couple is away, there are differences of opinion as to whether it is preferable to immerse on time or to wait for the spouse to return.
לה
35Procedure
לו
36One enters the water until the entire body is under water. The ideal position is slightly crouched, hands extended, fingers slightly apart, eyes and mouth closed gently – in such a position that all parts of the body and all her hair are under the water. The minimum is one immersion. Customs vary on how many additional dunkings are done. There is a difference in custom between Sephardim, who make the blessing before entering the water, and Ashkenazim, who make the blessing while in the water, generally after the first immersion.
לז
37The bracha that is said is:
לח...אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָׁנוּ בְּמִצְוֹתָיו וְצִוָּנוּ עַל הַטְּבִילָה.
38“…who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us on immersion.”